/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>370579
>The gear ratio needed to drive a generator can be ridiculous!

It isn't ridiculous, but it does need to be large. I've done this sort of thing before for VAWTs and all you need is good torque and a good ratio. You need 3 gears/pulleys. A tiny one, a large one, and a idler. The idler helps keep the belt or chain around more of the tiny gear/pulley to keep it from slipping.

A Pelton wheel won't work in the OP's application because the head is way too low. A torque-based system, using big paddles or large buckets on the wheel so that is uses weight to move the system is what is needed when the head is so low.